Overview
- Accenture agreed to pay $25 million to the United States to resolve government allegations about its diversity practices, with the settlement made public on Monday.
- The company denied liability in the deal and said it settled to avoid the cost and distraction of prolonged litigation.
- The settlement document identifies $11.627 million as restitution and applies interest at 4% per year from September 9, 2026.
- The Justice Department alleged Accenture used race- and sex-based goals in hiring and promotions, gave some promotion candidates extra visibility for demographic reasons, and supplied managers with monthly race and sex breakdowns to guide hiring.
- Accenture's payment is the latest under the Attorney General's Civil Rights Fraud Initiative and brings combined payouts by major consultancies in related probes to roughly $63.5 million, prompting industrywide compliance reviews and changes to DEI programs.